6 of the world's best coastal rail journeys

As flight technology advances (such as being able to hold more and burn less fuel) and long-haul carriers make improved efforts to provide a more comfortable journey (be that with jet lag–reducing lighting, serving healthier food, and enhancing business-class and economy seats for a more comfortable journey), the longest flights in the world are gradually getting even longer. The lengthiest now connect cities on opposite sides of the globe and are upwards of 17 hours.

With 15,000km (9320 miles) of coastline, New Zealand is heaven for beach lovers. Its diverse shores dish up everything from lazy days and blazing sunsets, to active adventures such as swimming, kayaking and surfing.

Renowned for its jaw-dropping architecture, world-class museums and mouth-watering street food (did some say deep-dish pizza?) it's no wonder Chicago was voted the second-best city in the world by media and hospitality giant TimeOut.

Pristine white sand beaches, aquamarine waters, and a lush volcanic landscape – arriving in Fiji truly feels like you've discovered paradise.

I took a deep breath and stepped into the Italian restaurant Amano in Auckland, New Zealand.

A recent report ten years in the making recently boldly selected The World’s 50 Best Hotels. So what makes a great hotel?

Formally established in 1718, the city of New Orleans has been a world-class tourist destination for decades thanks to its thriving nightlife scene and spectacular array of restaurants—and its booming tourism industry has also given rise to some incredible hotels. Spanning from the heart of the CBD to the inner reaches of the Garden District, these lavish spaces all offer stunning accommodations and a wealth of incredible drinking and dining venues found within their walls, showcasing the incredible culture of New Orleans for guests to explore without having to set foot outside their hotel.

What is the oldest country in the world? Depending on who you ask, you’ll get a variety of responses. Some might say it’s a country like China or Greece, where you can visit ancient cities that date all the way back to the second, third, even fifth millennium BCE. But borders and cultures have always shifted—and will continue to to shift—throughout history, and as a result, most of our present-day nations are actually quite young.

It was blip in the long, bumptious history of urban micro-travel, but it was a watershed moment nevertheless: Working pretty much around the clock on August 30-31, the trucks from Lime, Tier and Dott — the three remaining "free-floating electric scooter" (FFES) operators in Paris — rolled through Montmartre, the Marais, Pigalle, Chateau Rouge, St. Germain and districts both more and less fashionable to corral their combined total of 15,000 pieces of rental stock strewn in classic toss-the-thing, devil-may-care mangles, as pictured above. September 1 was the deadline, decreed by the April referendum in which Parisians rose to vote on the future of the rental versions of the things. The vox populi was very nearly unanimous: The full-on ban of rental scooters earned an astonishing eighty-nine percent of the votes.

Around the world, people live in houseboats along canals, rivers, or in harbors.

Vaughan Mabee is a mad genius. I mean this as the highest compliment. The New Zealand chef asks helicopter pilots to drop him off in the middle of nowhere so he can forage, hunt and cook. He researches the molecular structure of animal proteins. He shoots deer and pheasants from his back porch and serves them to guests. He cooks with the creativity, assurance and technique of someone who spent decades in the kitchens of Noma and Martin Berasategui. He sleeps about two hours a night.

Thai